Toy



June 21, 1927.

C. E. RICHARDSQN TOY Filed July 29. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .llh". l.

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lm H mlmm m 27 Ill Hum IN VI EN TOR ATTORNEYS Patented June 21, 1927.

UNITED STATES CARRIE ELIZABETH RICHARDSON, OF SIMPSONVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA. I

TOY.

Application filed July-29, 1925. Serial No. 46,855.

' My invention relates to improvements in toys, of that type which include a driving motor for actuating a wheel on which toy cars or seats for passengers are suspended,

and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is the provision of a toy of the character described having a novel means for controlling the descent of a weight which is included in the gravity motor for operating the wheel so that the wheel will be operated atasubstantially uniform speed and a given downward movement 5 of the weight will cause operation of the wheel for a relatively long time.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a toy of the character described which is simple in construction and can be 0 made at a relatively low cost of materials which are available in practically all house holds.

Other objects and advantagesof the invention will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the toy.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspectlve view of the toy.

Figure 3 comprises a side elevation and an edge view, respectively, of the carrying wheel of the toy.

Figure t is a plan view of a blank of which a car and representations of the passengers of the car are formed,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view, showing in elevation a portion of a support for the axle of the toy, the latter being shown in section together with a fragmentary portion of a cable for turning the axle.

The supportim structure of the toy comprises a box-like lower or base section 1 which may include a removable lid 2. An upper box-like section 3 is superimposed on the lid 2 of the base section and has an open ing 4 in its bottom in register with an opening 5 in the lid of the base section. The upper section 3 is open at its upper end.

Two parallelsupportingplates 6 have the lower end portions thereof secured by glue or in any other suitable known manner to the upper end portions of two opposite vertical walls of the upper section 3 of the supporting structure of the toy. These supporting plates 6 extend in parallel relation above the [level of-the upper end of the upper section 3 and may decrease in width from the level of the upper end of the upper section 3 to their upper ends. The upper end portions of the supporting plates 6 are formed with horizontally aligned openings which constitute bearings for the end portions of a horizontal axle or shaft 7.

A wheel which is rotatably supported by the axle between the supporting plates 6 may comprise a pair of end members 8 and a sleeve or hub 9 to which the central portions of the end members 8 are joined 111 any suitable known manner, as by means of glue'or paste. Each of the end members 8 is of circular configuration and is provided with a central opening, as at 10,

(see Fig. 3). The central opening 10 of each end member 8 is in axial alinement with the bore of the sleeve 9 and the axle 7 extends through the openings 10 in the end members 8 and through the bore of the sleeveor hub 9. The axle 7 is prevented from moving axially in the openings in thesupporting plates 6 many suitable known manner, as by means of convolutions of cord on the extrem end portions of the axle, as at 11. 1

Each end member 8 of the wheel may have apertures in the web portion thereof spaced regularly about the center of the end member, thus producing radial spoke portions as indicated at 12 and a rim at 13. p

The rim portions ofthe two end members 8 of the wheel are formed with aligned openportion indicated ings which preferably are located in the rim portions of the end members 8 at the junctures of the rim portions with the spoke portions of said end members, as indicated at 14. Cross supporting rods 15 have the end portionsthereof secured in aligned openings 14. A car 16 is provided for each of the cross rods 16. Each Oar l6 and the passengers thereof may be formed of a single sheet of relatively stiff light gauge material, such as paper which may be out to form a body 17 of substantially rectangular form having extending-portions at two opposite edges thereof fashioned to represent the upperportions of the bodies of miniature figures, as indicated at 18 in Figure 4. 'Sli'ts are made in theends of the body '17 adjacent-to the cor- 20 and the transverse ,foldline 21, respecllO ,the adjacent supporting plate 6 is the axle. The weight 25 thus will be suptively, thus producing a car having a bottom, sides, and ends and having upstanding projections on the sides of the car resembling portions of miniature figures. The slitting oil the ends of the body of the blank along the full lines 19 produces corner flaps at 22 when the marginal edge portions of the body of the blank are folded along the dotted lines 20 and 21 and these flaps 22 are folded against the ends of the car and secured thereto by paste or other suitable means, whereby the ends and sides or" the car will be stayed. to each other and to the bottom of the car and will be held in place.

Each car is suspended, as by means of pairs of flexible suspension members 23 and eye members 24 from the associated rods 15 so that the car will remain in a horizontal position at all times. The suspension members 23 may be short lengths of thread which connect the ends of the eye members 24: with the upper edge portions of opposite vertical walls of the car.

A motor for operating the wheel on which the cars 15 are supported may comprise a weight 25 and a cable 26 which is attached at one end to the weight 25. The cable 26 extends upwardly between one end member 8 of the wheel and the adjacent supporting plate 6 and after being passed a plurality of times about the portion of the axle 7 which extends between said one end member 8 and secured to ported above the space within the upper sec tion 3 of the supporting structure of the toy when the .wheel has been turned manually until a portion of the cable 26 has been wound on the axle 7 and the weight thus has been raised above the level of the upper end of the box-like section 3.

A cone-shaped hopper 2'? is supported in the space within the box-like upper section 3, by meansot the suspension members 28 so that the larger end. of the hopper will be uppermost and in the path of downward movement of the weight 25 will extend centrally of the hopper 27 and the open smaller end of the hopper will be disposed directly above and adjacent ilO fillGitllf'IlGCl openings 1 and 5 in the bottom of the upper section 3 and the top of the base section 1, respectively. The hopper 27 is adapted for the reception of sand or other granular material, such as in- 'dicated at 29 and the opening at the smaller end of the hopper is of restricted area so that a considerable period of time will be required for all the granular material to pass ",y gravitv from the hopper through the aligned openings4-5 into the space within the base section 1 after-the hopper has been filled with sand or other suitable granular material.

,From'the foregoing description of the var ous parts of the device, the operation thereof 'may be readily understood. The box-like sections 1 and 3 of the supporting structure of the device, the supporting plates 6, the end members 8 of the wheel, the cars and the representations of passengers therein as well as the cone-shaped hopper 27 may be made of pasteboard. The sleeve member 9 of the wheel may be a spool, the axle 7 may be a lead pencil, the cross rods 15 may be match sticks, and the suspension members 23. 26 and 28 may be lengths of thread or cord. A toy thus may be constructed of inexpensive materials which are readily available in practically all households. The weight 25 is p1 aced on the mass oi sand or other granular material with which the hopper 27 has been short downward movement of the weight 25 thus will cause operation of the wheel. for a relatively long time. Y

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of" embodiment in forms other than that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations thereof as il'airly tall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim v 1. A toy comprising a rotary wheel, a gravity motor for operating said. wheel, said gravity motor including a vertically movable weight connected with said wheel, and means for regulating the ClOWl'lWfll(l movement of said weight, said regulating means comprising a receptacle in which said weight may move vertically, said receptacle having a discharge orifice at its lower end,

and means movably supporting said weight within the receptacle and adapted to pass gradually from the receptacle through said discharge orifice, thus permitting downward movement of the weightin said receptacle, said receptacle shaped.

2. A toy comprising a rotary wheel, a gravity motor for'operating said wheel, said gravity motor including a vertically movable weight connected with said wheel, and means for regulating the downward movement of said weight, said regulating means comprising a receptacle for a mass of granular material, said receptacle having a discharge orifice at its lower end through which the granular material will pas and means supporting said receptacle in osition to permit being substantially conea the weight to rest on said granular material during the downward movement of the weight, said receptacle being substantially cone-shaped.

In a toy of the character described, a wheel supportedto rotate about a horizontal axis, a gravity motor including a weight connected to said wheel and adapted when mow ing downward to impart a torque to said wheel, and a cone-shaped hopper adapted for the reception of granular material and having an opening oI restricted area at its lower end through whichsaid granular material may pass by gravity, said hopper being supported in the path of downward movement of said weight so that said weight may rest on the granular material within the hopper and move downward in the hopper with the level of granular material in said hopper.

4. A toy comprising a box-like base section, an upper section superimposed on the box-like base section and having an opening in its bottom in line with an opening in the top of the base section, said upper boX like section being open'at its upper end, supporting plates carried by two opposite walls of said upper section, a wheel supported to rotate between said supporting plates above the space within said upper box-like section, cars carried by the rim portions of said wheel, a gravity motor comprising a. weight and cable connecting the weight with said wheel, a hopper supported within the box-like upper section above the opening in the bottom of the latter, said hopper having a chamber therewithin tapering in cross sectional area toward its lower end and having an opening of restricted area at its lower end from which granular material may pass and fall by gravity through the opening in the bottom of the box-like upper section into the box-like base section, the path of downward movement of said weight passing centrally of said hopper, the top portion of said lower box-like section being removable.

5. A toy comprising a rotary wheel, a gravity motor for operating said wheel and including a vertically movable weight connected with the wheel, a receptacle in which said weight maymove vertically, said receptacle having a discharge orifice of restricted area in its bottom and a' fluid mass of substance in the path of downward move ment of said weight in said receptacle and adapted to move gradually from position underneath the weight in the receptacle through said orifice thus permitting downward movement of the weight in the receptacle.

6. A toy comprising a rotary wheel, a gravity motor for operating said wheel and including a vertically movable weight connected with the wheel, a receptacle in which said weight may move vertically, said receptacle having an orifice of restricted area in its bottom and means within said receptacle including a fluid mass of substance adapted to pass gradually from the receptacle through said orifice for damping the downward movement of said weight.

CARRIE ELIZABETH RICHARDSON. 

